Three Ingredient Cherry Chia Pudding

Have you heard of chia pudding or are you making strange faces at the computer screen right now? If you haven’t heard of it or ever tried it – you’re missing out! It’s so good! Promise.

If you aren’t familiar with chia seeds, they are a super food – a super, duper food in fact – and here are some reasons why:

They are one of the richest plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids which can reduce inflammation, enhance cognitive performance, lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol so it’s great for your heart.

They are very high in fiber – 10 grams in just 2 tablespoons.

They are very high in calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, maganese, phosphorous (helping you maintain strong bones and teeth, plus tissue growth and repair in the body), and also antioxidants that help protect the body from free radicals, aging and cancer.

High in protein too! 4.4 grams in just 3 tablespoons.

Can help keep your insulin levels in check by reducing insulin resistance and decreasing high levels in insulin in the blood.

When soaked in water, chia seeds swell and soak up the water, turning in to a gel that can prolong hydration and help retain electrolytes in body fluids. This is great for athletes especially because it prevents dehydration and can promote endurance and recovery.

Because of it’s high levels of protein and fiber, combined with the fact that it swells up when mixed with liquids, chia seeds can help keep you full longer, reducing cravings between meals.

They are friendly to pretty much all dietary restrictions – gluten-free, vegans and vegetarians, and anyone trying to watch their weight.

They don’t really taste like anything so they are extremely versatile in the ways you can consume them – as an egg replacer (if you’re vegan, or if you run out of eggs), to thicken soups, stews, gravies and even meatloaf rather than using breadcrumbs, but also in sweet dishes like pudding.

One of the best things about this recipe too is that it’s only three ingredients! Just chia seeds, almond milk (or whichever milk you like), and cherries (or whichever fruit you want).

I like to use cherries in this recipe because they are low-glycemic, helping to not spike the blood sugar and promotes #5 (keeping insulin levels in check), also because they’re so nutrient-dense. Plus, they’re sweet enough on their own that no added sugar is really needed, though you could add a little bit of honey to make it sweeter for a dessert if you wanted.

I like to take half the cherries and puree them with the almond milk to give an overall sweetness, then take the other half of the cherries and coarsely chop them to give the texture and taste of cherries. This seems to be a happy medium and gives each bite the same sweetness and evenly distributes the cherries.

Doesn’t look like much yet, but pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes while the chia seeds work their magic, thickening to a consistency of rice or or tapioca pudding.

This makes a pretty big batch and I like to keep it in the fridge for the week as a snack, or as a part of breakfast, or as dessert. It’s filling and sweet so it’s perfect for any of those occasions and I notice a difference in the way I feel – satiated, satisfied and just overall good.Cherry Chia Pudding Recipe

Katy~ I haven’t been on your site for a few weeks. But what is ironic to me is that I just emailed my Daughtera couple days ago about chia seeds asking her what to do with them? She hasn’t had the time to answer my question, but thanks to you, this is awesome! I have been adding them to my cereal every morning at least with my ground flaxseed. To actually find this recipe was better yet. This may be my lunch today! :) Thanks Katy!

Oh good! Yeah, chia seeds are so, so good for you and this is an easy way to get lots of them in your diet. I like to keep a batch in the fridge and eat a bowl of this stuff for breakfast if I don’t feel like cooking.

OK Katy, I made this tonight for our dessert. My husband didn’t bat an eyelash over it. But he did say, “Is there anyway you can make it with dark chocolate and cherries?” I’ll work on that. Anything to get him to eat healthier. I also used your paperclip idea for taking the seeds out. Worked like a charm. Wished I had that idea in June when we pitted (exaggerating) 10,000 tart cherries off our little tree to freeze. :) If you have any ideas on use of tart cherries, please let me know. I know I will be putting them in my steel cut oatmeal that I cook overnight in a crockpot. Cherry pie with almond flour crust??? Or healthier cobbler???

Oh Lin, that’s so great!! I love it when you can get resisters to like healthy food! Isn’t it so satisfying?! And I’m glad you liked the paperclip idea for pitting cherries – of course a cherry pitter would work even faster, but hey, gotta work with whatcha got sometimes, ya know? Tart cherries…hmm. Your overnight oatmeal sounds awesome. What about dehydrating them and then mixing them with nuts and seeds for a homemade trail mix? Tart is hard because you would need to add so much sugar to make it palatable, so pairing it with something like oats or nuts takes the sting off without adding much sugar. I’ll have to think some more for ideas!